SUVs and pedestrian safety

Syu-Yu Wang

Leeds Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds, UK

Caroline Tait

Leeds Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds, UK

Eugeni Vidal-Tortosa

Department of Geography, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain

Roger Beecham

School of Geography, University of Leeds, UK

Steve O’Hern

Leeds Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds, UK

Robin Lovelace

Leeds Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds, UK

Background

Methods

  • Data from STATS19 database on traffic casualties in Great Britain (2005-2022).
  • 239 unique SUV models identified.
  • Multinomial logit model used to explore the relationship between risk factors and injury severity.
  • Outcomes: Fatal, Serious, or Slight injury.

Results

Figure 1: Year-on-year pedestrian crash counts by vehicle type and severity (2005-2022).

Model results

  • Pedestrians hit by SUVs are more likely to be seriously injured (RRR = 1.126) or killed (RRR = 1.204) compared to those hit by non-SUVs.
  • Vehicle mass is also a significant predictor of injury severity.
  • SUV status is a better predictor than vehicle mass, width, or length alone.

Discussion and Conclusions

  • The results confirm that SUVs are more dangerous for pedestrians in Great Britain, supporting findings from the USA.
  • This should motivate policy debates on vehicle size and road safety (Singh 2024).
  • Supports measures like increased parking fees for large vehicles (European Commission 2024).
  • Further research is needed on specific vehicle characteristics like bumper height.

References

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